


Tiny Tim

by glymr



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, de-aged character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-13
Updated: 2010-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-09 01:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3230312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glymr/pseuds/glymr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Excuse me, but are you...are you related to Richard Grayson?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tiny Tim

 Dick pulled up to the house, yanked off his helmet, and rushed up the steps. As he pushed open the big door, Alfred was there to meet him.

"Where is he?" asked Dick.

"In the library," replied Alfred calmly. Dick rushed through the Manor and burst into the room.

Three pairs of eyes looked up at him. Bruce's expression was flat, of course. Zatanna glanced at him and nodded, but didn't stop chanting. The third pair of eyes belonged to a young boy, who seemed confused, but not particularly frightened. He stared at Dick and blinked several times. Finally he said, "Excuse me, but are you...are you related to Richard Grayson?"

Dick glared at Bruce. "You haven't told him."

Bruce shrugged. "We weren't sure if it was safe to."

Zatanna finished her chant and a momentary glow suffused the air around the boy. "It's safe to," she said after the glow had faded. "Bruce, a word with you?" He nodded and the two of them stepped out of the room, leaving Dick alone with the boy.

"What haven't they told me?" asked the boy after a moment.

"You're supposed to be...older," said Dick.

The boy frowned a little and nodded. "That would explain why I woke up in a strange bed wearing pajamas that were too big for me," he said.

"How old are you?" asked Dick.

"Eight. How old am I supposed to be?"

"Seventeen."

"Oh." The boy digested this for a moment.

"And to answer your earlier question...I _am_ Dick Grayson."

" _Oh_." The boy's eyes were wide, now. "Yes, of course you'd be a...a grown up."

"You remember me," said Dick.

The boy nodded and gave him a shy smile. "From the circus. You...you hugged me." The smile melted and he looked away, clearly remembering what else had happened that day, and just as clearly unwilling to bring it up.

"Tim," it was the first time Dick had spoken his name, and it felt strange to say it, but Tim looked up at him again. "Can I hug you?"

"Oh, is it...is it okay?" he said. Dick smiled and went down on one knee, holding out his arms. Tim came forward and hesitantly put his arms around Dick's neck, letting himself be pulled close.

For a long moment, Dick just held him, waiting for him to stiffen up and pull away as Tim always did, but the kid seemed content just to hug and be hugged...and Dick had no problem with that. Finally the boy did pull away, but just enough to look at Dick's face and ask, "So in the future...when I'm a grown up, I mean...you know me?"

Dick couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Yes," he said. "We're...we're friends."

" _Really?_ " His face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "We _are?_ "

"Yes. Good friends." He was still on one knee, which brought his eye level about even with Tim's. Apparently Tim was always a short kid.

"Oh. So we...we do things together?"

"Yes," said Dick, grinning as he remembered train surfing with Tim, Tim swinging a punch at a thug's head, Tim shooting a grapple and jumping off a building. "We hang out. Watch movies together sometimes." That was true enough.

"Oh." And the kid smiled so wide and looked so *happy* that Dick just had to hug him again. He made a startled sound but hugged back. "Are you...do you still do acrobatics? You seem...at the parties it was always hard to tell because you were always wearing a suit, but I thought it would be sad if you gave it up completely, and I can tell that you're...you're really strong..."

"I still do acrobatics," said Dick. "Bruce has a set up in...in the basement. Sometimes you...keep me company," he added.

"I get to *watch* you practice?" The boy was clearly thrilled. "Wow...I can't *wait* to be a grown up!"

~~~

[](http://snake-easing.livejournal.com/profile)[ **snake_easing**](http://snake-easing.livejournal.com/) wrote a sequel to this! Check it out: [Tiny Tim was Growing Strong and Healthy](http://snake-easing.livejournal.com/84382.html)

(Locked to her Friends List.)


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